in Scotland would have been regarded as of small
importance to the repose and security of Elizabeth, had her own subjects
been entirely united, and had not the zeal of the Catholics, excited
by constraint more properly than persecution, daily threatened her
with some dangerous insurrection. The vigilance of the ministers,
particularly of Burleigh and Walsingham, was raised in proportion to the
activity of the malecontents; and many arts, which had been blamable in
a more peaceful government, were employed in detecting conspiracies,
and even discovering the secret inclinations of men. Counterfeit letters
were written in the name of the queen of Scots, or of the English
exiles, and privately conveyed to the houses of the Catholics: spies
were hired to observe the actions and discourse of suspected persons:
informers were countenanced; and though the sagacity of these two
great ministers helped them to distinguish the true from the false
intelligence, many calumnies were no doubt hearkened to, and all the
subjects, particularly the Catholics, kept in the utmost anxiety and
inquietude. Henry Piercy, earl of Northumberland, brother to the earl
beheaded some years before, and Philip Howard, earl of Arundel, son of
the unfortunate duke of Norfolk, fell under suspicion; and the
latter was, by order of council, confined to his own house. Francis
Throgmorton, a private gentleman, was committed to custody, on account
of a letter which he had written to the queen of Scots, and which was
intercepted. Lord Paget and Charles Arundel, who had been engaged with
him in treasonable designs, immediately withdrew beyond sea. Throgmorton
confessed that a plan for an invasion and insurrection had been laid;
and though, on his trial, he was desirous of retracting this confession,
and imputing it to the fear of torture, he was found guilty and
executed. Mendoza, the Spanish ambassador, having promoted this
conspiracy, was ordered to depart the kingdom; and Wade was sent into
Spain, to excuse his dismission, and to desire the king to send another
ambassador in his place; but Philip would not so much as admit the
English ambassador to his presence. Creighton, a Scottish Jesuit,
coming over on board a vessel which was seized, tore some papers with an
intention of throwing them into the sea; but the wind blowing them back
upon the ship, they were pieced together, and discovered some dangerous
secrets.[*]

Many of these conspiracies were, with grea